5 Tips to Spruce Up your Rental on a Budget

June 09, 2015

When my family moved into our rental a couple years ago it was like moving into a dungeon. It was dirty, dark, and covered in wallpaper...

When my family moved into our rental a couple years ago it was like moving into a dungeon. It was dirty, dark, and covered in wallpaper. Once we moved into our rental, aka a diamond in a rough, I needed to figure out how to brighten it up without removing the wallpaper or painting** the walls. I compiled a list of things that I have done to make my rental feel more like a home while being on a tight budget.

1. Paint The Trim Work WHITE- Most trim work in houses are already white so touching up on it will not hurt and most landlords will not mind such an easy touchup. The one thing I love to do whenever I visit a home improvement store is to buy mistint paint colors or stock up on sample paints. Sometimes they have more than just a satin finish in white in the mistint and if you purchase more than one can or a bundle a handful of sample paint from the mistint area you can always ask if they can lower the price if you buy all of them...OR if you already have white paint on hand you can always use that, it really does not take much to paint the trim and baseboards in a house.

All I can say is...Thank goodness the trim work in my rental, according to my landlady, was already white (it was actually the exact same color as the wall, cream with a yellow undertone).

2. Hang Curtains- Most people that I know who rent do not feel the need to beautify their rental because it is just a temporary home. Although, that is true, the one thing I do in every rental is hang curtains. Curtains add privacy, color, and if you are into patterns, it can add another element to the room so that it does not feel bland. I personally view curtains as a large form of art that covers your window...it all depends on the curtain you choose.

Since a rental, is indeed a temporary home, some people do not feel the need to splurge on nice curtains for their rental. Some ways to save money on curtains are to purchase them from Ikea, the thrift store, Craigslist, or just make them. Sheets and drop cloths are a good source of material at fairly inexpensive price that can provide length to cover the whole window, function, and durability.

Another money saving tip when it comes to hanging curtains is using electrical conduit as a curtain rod instead of premade curtain rods. You can buy a 12' long electrical conduit and cut it down to size and the extra rods can be used on other windows around the house.

3. Switch Up the Cabinet Handles- Now this can make a huge difference, especially if the finish compliments the cabinet. The cool thing about switching up the cabinet hardware to something that suites your style is that once your lease is up or you decide to move you can always take your new hardware with you and put the old ones back on the cabinet.

My go to spot for cool inexpensive hardware is Ebay, The Habitat for Humanity Resale Store, or clearance section at Anthropology or Hobby Lobby.

4. Lay Some Area Rugs Down- Like hanging up curtains, area rugs can add that extra element that makes a room feel complete and homey. Some rentals have wall to wall carpeting while others have flooring through out. Either way, you can still lay an area rug over it.

One of my favorite thing to do with an area rug is to layer it and add extra dimension to the space. Decent priced area rugs can be found literally anywhere and they can purchased in multiple styles and sizes to fit the space it is needed in.

5. Hang Some Art Up- Art is art whether it is bought at a store or made with your own hands. Art can add so much to a space and can bring that extra oomph of what a home feels like. Art completes a home. You can do all the tips listed above, but if art is not present in the space, the space will feel incomplete and boring to the eye.

Thanks. Most certainly, make the space your own...then it will feel like home. I remember when I was a senior in college, I opted to return to the dorm life my last semester and I was rooming with a freshman (sweet girl)...I arrived a week early, she got there earlier than I did and rearranged the furniture, hung up pictures, and drapes...it was nice and homie but it was a far cry from my style and I am so not the pushover type that I just dealt with it but dealing with it meant I chose not to hang out in my dorm 90% of the time because the way the room was set up was absolutely horrible...she had the desk in the middle of the room with shelves stacked on top so we can have separate areas...hence our room was like 12'x12' and there were double of everything furniture wise...it was crazy.

don't worry there is nothing wrong with hand me down...a lot of times it just requires more love. Painting the trim may seem daunting, but the good thing about it is that you are painting it white so you can always stop and go as you please...Or paint one room at a time. Or dedicate one hour at night to one particular area...I painted the public areas first than worked my way upstairs so that when we have guest the public area (down stairs) is presentable. I still have a room or so to go...I know it is a slow process.

Thanks. That would be great if you can be in a place more than a year so that you can do more. sometimes when you stay somewhere for less than a year it seems pointless to do something when you know you will be moving. Our family goals when it comes to moving is we have to be there a year or longer or there is no point.

I am glad I could help out! Just remember, small changes can make a huge difference and changes do not necessarily mean it has to be expensive. Good luck on changing things up...I know it will work out for you.

Thanks! I forget about changing handles but I recently started to switch up my bathroom handles and it makes a difference. I want to change up the kitchen ones, but the cabinets are more horrid than the handles...so it might be a lose lose situation.

Are you an insider? Get the inside scoop on everything Domicile 37 and more.

Search Domicile 37

Blog Archive

Pinned

ads

Disclaimer

Disclaimer
**Please do NOT copy any personal pictures

This site may contain affiliate links that I make a small poriton off of, as well as sidebar ads that may generate a small income for Domicile 37. Posts that have a "shop the post" option at the bottom will include said affiliate links, as well as sidebar links and the "shop" tab on this blog. I will not and do not link to any items at the request of the retailer/ business. All opinions are my own.
Domicile 37 is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com